Christmas party drink: homemade Venezuelan ponche crema

Eggnog is a very appreciated Christmas party drink in both the United States and Latin America, where it’s called rompope, ponche crema and more. We bring you this unbelievably easy Christmas recipe, taken from a family tradition from my pastry school teacher, Wendoly Lopez. All you need is a blender, or maybe just a whisk.

But first, let’s talk about rum. Besides being the drink of choice for pirates in the Caribbean, did you know there is a controlled designation of origin for Venezuelan rum? As for the best products in the world like champagne, cognac and so on; rum also has a Controlled Designation of Origin: “Ron de Venezuela”. This was made in order to protect and preserve the quality of Venezuelan rum and its 200 years tradition.

One of the things that make Venezuelan rum so special is the tropical climate and the soil that transforms the prime matter, the sugar cane, in a high in fructose crop, perfect for distilling rum. Another important characteristic is that the rum comes from cane sugar molasses, transformed into this wonderful spirit through an alcoholic distillation process.

One of the quality ensuring standards is the prohibition of topping up of casks to make up for wastage caused by natural evaporation of the alcohol. Also, to be called rum, the distilled beverage must be aged in french o american oak barrels for at least 2 years. This process is carefully overseen by regulatory officials and certified rum masters that check every barrel to ensure the best quality. So it’s also the people of Venezuela, who passionately create this outstanding beverage with love and dedication.

And that’s why we’re using outstanding Venezuelan rum for this Christmas party eggnog or ponche crema (cream punch).

Raw egg warning: you can pasteurize the eggs by boiling them at a temperature below 140°F for about 3 minutes and then throwing them in a cold water bath. This will kill the bacteria without cooking the eggs.

Ingredients

115gr. of condensed milk

1 large egg (pasteurized)

½ cup of milk

140ml. of aged Venezuelan rum

⅛ teaspoon of cardamom or ceilan curry

Preparation

Place all the ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth.

Transfer into sterilised glass bottles with a funnel.

Let the eggnog stand for at least 2 weeks at room temperature in a cool, dark place. The mixture will magically thicken.

Enjoy!

Didn’t I tell you it was easy? Serve with ice and a sprinkling of cinnamon or cacao, if you wish.